Unvaccinated travelers over the age of 12 will not be able to board a plane or train in Canada starting today, and a negative COVID-19 test will no longer serve as a proxy for most people.
The policy went into effect on October 30, but the federal government allowed a short transition period for unvaccinated travelers who could board, provided they present a negative molecular COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to their trip. .
The stringent new requirement takes effect as Canada reacts to the emergence of the new highly mutated Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The discovery of the new variant has led to border closures and tighter controls in Canada and abroad for fear that it could be more transmissible.
The risk related to the Omicron variant is very high, according to the World Health Organization, but there are still many public health officials and scientists do not know.
While anyone entering Canada or boarding a plane or train within the country must be vaccinated, there are currently no quarantine measures, except for people who have recently transited southern Africa.
While so far many airlines have been doing random checks to make sure travelers are vaccinated, Air Canada and West Jet have confirmed that they will require proof of everyone boarding Canada starting today.
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Other measures, such as masks and medical exams, will remain mandatory.
“If you indicate to your airline or rail company that you are eligible to board, but do not provide proof of vaccination or a valid COVID-19 test result, you will not be allowed to travel and could face penalties or fines,” the state of the government website.
The government has issued warnings on social media that even Canadians and permanent residents abroad will not be able to return home without a full list of approved vaccines.
# Unvaccinated travelers excluded from planes and trains as of today, November 30, 2021. # Covid19 #CDNPoli
There are some exceptions, including valid medical exemptions, travel to remote communities that can only be accessed by air, and those transiting Canada en route to another destination.
Most people who qualify for an exemption will need a recent COVID-19 test.
The vaccine mandate received a positive reaction from Canada’s airline industry when it was first announced in October, although some companies were concerned about making the necessary preparations in time.
Since then, the federal government announced a standardized proof of vaccination document, which has been distributed by provinces and territories for national and international travel.
This Canadian Press report was first published on November 30, 2021.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com